From the moment the Kiama Public School junior girls relay set a new district record in August, Sheree Payne knew she had something special on her hands.
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A South Coast region record followed in September, before the squad set their sights on the NSW PSSA Athletics Championships.
There, three months of hard work and training culminated in a state title for the team of Coco Butcher, Emmasyn Kona, Sage Laird and Claire Vogelaar.
Payne, Kiama's sports coordinator, said the achievement was a reward for the girls' hard work.
"I had an inkling right from the start and then once they broke the district record, I knew they were a pretty special team," Payne said.
"They were extremely thrilled to win, they worked extremely hard. An ex-parent Peter Bugden and his daughter Brooke helped coach them. They've been training every week since August."
The relay glory came amid a successful NSW PSSA Championships for the Illawarra, with a host of youngsters claiming medals.
Butcher backed up her relay gold with silver in the individual 8-10 years 200m.
The Berry junior boys relay also reached the podium, the side finishing third.
That relay was led by Gabriel Lombardi, who took out the 8-10 years boys 200m final. The 10-year-old also finished second in the 100m final in a photo finish.
Maddison McWilliams and Thomas Partland each won a bronze medal, with Ruby Kerr claiming a silver.
William Willis and Emily Benefiel each won a bronze medal in the field, while Telaya Blacksmith collected two gold and a silver in the multi class events.
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Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
